Hongtao Zhou Debuts “Growing Chairs” Installation in Shanghai
The scholar and artist Hongtao Zhou is expanding his signature exploration of natural forms with the new roving exhibition “Growing Chairs.” Transforming simple 1/10-inch iron pipe—in his words, “bending the curves smoothly by using a self-developed machine”—the current Shanghai Oriental Scholar Professor at the College of Design and Innovation of Tongii University has created a series of inviting public seating designs. “I believe all objects have life,” he says, “I love the concept of organic growth and I hope this project can reflect the growing energy of the local land and people.”
Included as part of Shanghai’s Siping Regeneration Project, which seeks to provide places for community within an industrial neighborhood, the chairs’ materials reference the steel pipes central to the region’s history, while offering spots for contemplation and rest. One set has been installed in the city’s Lujilazui Park, while a second is part of its China International Furniture Fair East Design Show. A third will soon travel west to the historic Les Jardins de Marqueyssac in Vézac, France.